Strong Indian presence at the 68th Cannes Film Festival

Inauguration of Indian Pavilion by Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Hon’ble Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting.From 13 to 24 May 2015, Cannes (France)

Two Indian films co-produced with France, “Chauthi Koot” and “Masaan”, and two French films shot in India have made it to the selections of the 68th Cannes Film Festival.

Chauthi Koot (The Fourth Direction), directed by Gurvinder Singh, is inspired by narratives of “The Fourth Direction” and “I am feeling fine now” by Indian author Waryam Singh Sandhu. The film is based on the divisions faced by the Sikh community in the eighties. This film has been co-produced by the French production company of Catherine Dussart (CDP) and India’s National Film Development Corporation (NFDC, Kartikeya Singh and Sunil Doshi). It is the second film by this young director who already has the 2001 National Film Award for “Anhe Ghore Da Daan" under his belt.

Masaan (Fly away solo) is the first full-length directorial venture of Neeraj Ghaywan, who has worked as Assistant Director for Anurag Kashyap’s “Gangs of Wasseypur” and “Ugly”. Starring Richa Chaddha, Masaan offers a narrative on Varanasi that focuses on different characters torn between tradition and modernity. On the French side, Macassar Productions, Arte Cinema and Pathé (also in charge of international sales of the film) and, on the Indian side, Manish Mundra of Dhryshyam, Anurag Kashyap’s Phantom Films and Sikhya Entertainment have come together for co-producing the film.

The two co-produced films will be shown in the prestigious “Un Certain Regard” section.

Apart from these, the short film “Love Comes Later”, directed by Sonejuhi Sinha, will be presented during the “Semaine de la Critique”.

Of the two French films shot in India, Jacques Audiard’s “Dheepan” (shot in part in Tamil Nadu in January 2015) is in the official competition section, while Thomas Bidegain’s “Les Cow Boys” (partially shot in Rajasthan) will be presented at the “Director’s Fortnight”.

The Hon’ble Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, Mr Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, will be in Cannes from 13 to 18 May to accompany the Indian delegation and inaugurate the India Pavilion, organised in partnership with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

Indo-French film co-production:

Following the first cooperation agreement dating back to 1986 between the French and Indian film industries, a new agreement for facilitating co-productions was signed in December 2010 in New Delhi between the Indian Minister of Information and Broadcasting and the French Minister of Culture and Communications. Since, several Indo-French co-produced films have been made:Julian Schnabel’s “Miral” (French co-producer - Pathé);Anup Singh’s “Qissa” (French co-producer - Ciné Sud Promotion), supported under the Fonds Sud Cinéma (known since 2012 as “Aide aux cinémas du Monde”, the new coproduction mechanism administered by CNC and Institut français for foreign feature film projects);Ritesh Batra’s “Lunchbox” (French co-producer - ASAP Films), supported under the Fonds Sud Cinéma (known since 2012 as “Aide aux cinémas du Monde”) and Arte Cinéma.

Every year the Audiovisual Section of the Embassy supports the participation of French producers in the Goa Film Bazaar, a premium co-productions market aimed at promoting Indian cinema internationally, organized by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC). The next bazaar will be held from 20 to 24 November. All these France-India co-productions (Lunchbox, Qissa, Do Duni, etc.) were initiated at the Goa Film Bazaar de Goa.

Recent shoots:

Indian movies shot in France:Blessed with picturesque locales, unique blends of the quaint and the contemporary seen in villages, cities and towns, and the distinct French art de vivre (or way of life), France makes for an ideal destination for film shoots. Bollywood movies have long found France to be a favourable hunting ground with iconic movies such as ’’An Evening in Paris" creating an enthralling 70mm experience for cinema-goers of yore. Paris still remains a favourite with contemporary Bollywood production houses with successful movies capturing the essence of Paris effortlessly on cinema screens. To cite a few examples: Ranbir Kapoor had an enjoyable fling with Paris in the hugely successful "Yeh Jawaani Hai Diwani". Abhishek Bachchan romanced Preity Zinta, and Bobby Deol Lara Dutta in the streets of Paris in "Jhoom Barabar Jhoom". The feisty Kangana Ranaut had a unique solo honeymoon in Paris in the widely acclaimed "Queen". Going beyond Paris, the picturesque locales of the Midi-Pyrenees region located in South-West France have charmed a global audience in the Om Puri-Helen Mirren starrer, "The Hundred-Foot Journey".

French movies shot in India:French filmmakers’ interest in India date back to Jean Renoir and Louis Malle. In recent years, six French movies were shot in India (see table below for movies between 2013-2015), including the latest movie of famous French director Claude Lelouch, starring French Oscar winner Jean Dujardin, which will be released on 9th December 2015 in the French theaters.